Shaq is larger than life

Published: Tuesday, July 2, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, July 2, 2013 at 10:02 a.m.

If the athlete in question is former LSU and NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal, then the answer is yes.

Last weekend, Shaq put his own spin on the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame's Class of 2013 induction ceremony in Natchitoches.

It didn't take Shaq long to do it when he officially changed the name of the town to "Shaq-itoches" for the weekend.

I guess you can do things like that — renaming Louisiana's oldest city and jokingly popping the question to former professional tennis star and fellow Class of 2013 inductee Chanda Rubin — when you are a larger than life figure such as Shaq.

And those two "Shaq-isms" happened within the first two minutes of Friday's press conference prior to the grand opening of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Throughout his 22-minute interview, Shaq expressed his love for Louisiana and wanted to thank the person who invented boudin and crawfish.

Shaq also explained how he ended up at LSU. As a 13-year-old in West Germany, he had a chance encounter with then-LSU coach Dale Brown on the military base his father was serving. Brown sent Shaq letters every week, and that set into motion a journey that would take the future NBA superstar to Baton Rouge.

Throughout the weekend, the Hall of Fame festivities had a Shaq feel to it, and that was evident by several cans of Soda Shaq sitting on each table at Saturday's induction banquet. Considering the cans of cream soda were 23.5 fluid ounces, it was just another way for Shaq to promote himself in a larger than life manner.

It was not all fun and games for Shaq. He announced that he is working with Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center to build the Shaquille O'Neal Children's Hospital in Baton Rouge. His plan is to treat all sick children at no cost at the hospital.

Although Shaq was the biggest name — and the tallest member of the 2013 class — he was not one to steal the spotlight. He talked about his admiration for former Central Lafourche and LSU quarterback Tommy Hodson, being on LSU's campus at the same time as future NFL star Kevin Mawae and his battles with former University of New Orleans and NBA center Ervin Johnson, who stands at 6-11.

Shaq wanted to share the spotlight equally with Rubin, Hodson, Mawae, Johnson and the other members of the 2013 class — jockey Ronald Ardoin, American Basketball Association and Grambling State star James "Jimmy" Jones, high school basketball coach Ed "Skeets" Tuohy and multi-sports star Anna Koll.

Although Shaq and his fellow inductees received much attention, none of them could outshine the true star of the weekend — the $23 million, 27,500-square foot Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum, located at 800 Front St. in Natchitoches.

The museum shined the brightest on Friday night, as it showcased some of Louisiana's greatest athletes (Archie Manning, Karl Malone and Mel Ott) and team's greatest achievements (Saints winning Super Bowl XLIV, LSU's College World Series titles and Louisiana Tech's women's basketball team's national championships).

It was only fitting that the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame would welcome its biggest member on its biggest night.

It was a match made in heaven, and Shaq and the museum lives up to the loft expectations. Basically, they were both larger than life.

Brent St. Germain is sports editor of The Courier and the Daily Comet. He can be reached at 857-2239 or 448-7600 ext. 2239 or by e-mail at brent.st.germain@houmatoday.com.

<p>Is it possible for a 7-foot-1 athlete to stand larger than life?</p><p>If the athlete in question is former LSU and NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal, then the answer is yes.</p><p>Last weekend, Shaq put his own spin on the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame's Class of 2013 induction ceremony in Natchitoches.</p><p>It didn't take Shaq long to do it when he officially changed the name of the town to "Shaq-itoches" for the weekend. </p><p>I guess you can do things like that — renaming Louisiana's oldest city and jokingly popping the question to former professional tennis star and fellow Class of 2013 inductee Chanda Rubin — when you are a larger than life figure such as Shaq.</p><p>And those two "Shaq-isms" happened within the first two minutes of Friday's press conference prior to the grand opening of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.</p><p>Throughout his 22-minute interview, Shaq expressed his love for Louisiana and wanted to thank the person who invented boudin and crawfish.</p><p>Shaq also explained how he ended up at LSU. As a 13-year-old in West Germany, he had a chance encounter with then-LSU coach Dale Brown on the military base his father was serving. Brown sent Shaq letters every week, and that set into motion a journey that would take the future NBA superstar to Baton Rouge.</p><p>Throughout the weekend, the Hall of Fame festivities had a Shaq feel to it, and that was evident by several cans of Soda Shaq sitting on each table at Saturday's induction banquet. Considering the cans of cream soda were 23.5 fluid ounces, it was just another way for Shaq to promote himself in a larger than life manner. </p><p>It was not all fun and games for Shaq. He announced that he is working with Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center to build the Shaquille O'Neal Children's Hospital in Baton Rouge. His plan is to treat all sick children at no cost at the hospital. </p><p>Although Shaq was the biggest name — and the tallest member of the 2013 class — he was not one to steal the spotlight. He talked about his admiration for former Central Lafourche and LSU quarterback Tommy Hodson, being on LSU's campus at the same time as future NFL star Kevin Mawae and his battles with former University of New Orleans and NBA center Ervin Johnson, who stands at 6-11.</p><p>Shaq wanted to share the spotlight equally with Rubin, Hodson, Mawae, Johnson and the other members of the 2013 class — jockey Ronald Ardoin, American Basketball Association and Grambling State star James "Jimmy" Jones, high school basketball coach Ed "Skeets" Tuohy and multi-sports star Anna Koll.</p><p>Although Shaq and his fellow inductees received much attention, none of them could outshine the true star of the weekend — the $23 million, 27,500-square foot Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum, located at 800 Front St. in Natchitoches.</p><p>The museum shined the brightest on Friday night, as it showcased some of Louisiana's greatest athletes (Archie Manning, Karl Malone and Mel Ott) and team's greatest achievements (Saints winning Super Bowl XLIV, LSU's College World Series titles and Louisiana Tech's women's basketball team's national championships).</p><p>It was only fitting that the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame would welcome its biggest member on its biggest night.</p><p>It was a match made in heaven, and Shaq and the museum lives up to the loft expectations. Basically, they were both larger than life.</p><p>Brent St. Germain is sports editor of The Courier and the Daily Comet. He can be reached at 857-2239 or 448-7600 ext. 2239 or by e-mail at brent.st.germain@houmatoday.com.</p>